Once a professor came to his class and said. He is going to teach the students an important lesson. He then placed a glass jar on the table, and then started filling it up with table tennis balls. And he kept filling it till there was no space left.

He then asked the students. Is the jar completely filled? To which the students collectively replied, ‘Yes sir!’

Then the professor took out some small pebbles and started slowly putting them in the jar. He then shook the jar and with that a number of pebbles went inside and settled in the empty space available between the tennis balls.

The professor asked again. Is the jar full now? The students replied, ‘yes sir!’

After which the professor pulled out some sand and slowly started filling the jar with it. He then asked the students again. Is the jar completely filled now? The students once again said ‘yes sir!’

By now the students were beginning to get a little restless when the professor lifted two cups of tea from the adjacent table and poured it into the jar. And soon the tea got soaked in the sand.

And then the professor began explaining in a serious tone.

Dear students, consider this glass jar as your life. Where, table tennis balls are the most important and are like the God, family, kids, friends, health and your personal fancies. Where, small pebbles are like your job, car, house etc. And sand means, small issues that include small day-to-day talk, fights and even disagreements.

Now had you first filled the glass jar with sand first, there would have been no space for tennis balls and even pebbles. Or had you first filled the jar with pebbles first there would have been no space for tennis balls but there would have been space for sand.

Students, exactly the same thing applies in life.

If we get too involved with smaller things in life we will not have time and energy for important things in life.

For your peace of mind what is essential. You only have to figure it out. It could be playing with your kids, roaming in the garden, watering the plants, going for a morning walk with your spouse, or remove the clutter from your house, or even get your medical check-up done.

So, bother about the tennis balls of life first. For, that alone is important. First ascertain what is important for you in life. Rest everything is like sand. By now the students were spellbound.

When, all of a sudden one student asked. ‘Sir you did not talk about those two cups of tea that you had earlier mentioned?’

To which the professor smiled and said, ‘I was in fact thinking why till now, nobody has asked this question.

‘Anyways the answer to this question is quite simple. No matter how much busy and satisfying your life is. But you must always have time to have a cup of tea with your friends.

Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be its undying characteristic. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his ways through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February, 2018 in Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases. Should you wish to donate for the cause the bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

*

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(Archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. Book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

Not very long ago I was on the lookout for a suitable birthday gift for my wife. As we have come of age I mentally rejected those silly romantic and valentinesque gifts. There was plenty of time. I could select at leisure, not knowing there is never time enough. In such situations it flies on the wings of a dove, and lo and behold the birthday was well nigh-It was the birth day eve and I hadn’t made a choice. I decided to take the bull by the horns and walked into a shopping mall. I tried this and that but right choice eluded me. I wanted to be sure it would not turn out to be something on the lines of ‘the gift of the Magi’. The brilliantly lit cut glass bottles caught my eyes. The perfumes-yes of course-that was what I was looking for. It was difficult to select from a variety of foreign brands because all were Greek to me. I delved into the recesses of my mind and came up with BVLGARI. The quaint, almost unpronounceable name had remained stuck in my memory after watching a foreign serial where a girl goes shopping and among many things she pauses before a glittering array of perfume bottles. The name stood out like a sore thumb. BVLGARI- must be good. That’s how I purchased the gift. Obviously, the serial had robbed me off some hard earned wampum but I was happy. The triumph of advertisement or casual memory-retention had done the trick. Reminds me of something I read somewhere: “Advertising is the art of arresting human intelligence just long enough to get money from it.”